Public comment on agenda and other business
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Feb 6, 2024
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Feb 6, 2024
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 22m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 67% of 93 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Okay. Now we'll move on to um public comment the citizens will have the opportunity to comment on anything uh for our future uh current agenda and future agenda coming before the board and uh other business under the board's preview. Uh today's public comment will be uh Handled as follows. First we will take public comment for those
in person and then we will take private comment from those who are on WebEx and are currently on Q. Uh we request that when you address the board you uh are not uh directly, personally, uh against make any m thoughts against any commissioner or team member, but rather uh stick to the issues. This provides virtual uh respect
for each board member and the public. After starting with your name and address for the clerk, three minute timer will be activated. After two minutes, a single beep will sound. After that, there are two beeps will sound at the end of your conversation. Ask that you finish your comments. Um WebEx uh participants will be disconnected at the Yeah when that time is up. Do we have a sign up sheet and someone Signed up?
Yes, Mr. Chair. We have three individuals that signed up on the signed up sheet. We have tomorrow uh Tamara Dishi. Alison Moore and Nancy Hazelwood. Um The first speaker could please come up to the podium, state your name and address, and then you may proceed.
Name and address for the record.
Good morning. My name is Tamara Disi. I live at [address removed].
Thank you.
And thank you for allowing me to speak today. Uh this is my turnaround story. I'm going from pleading my case for permission to build a replacement home on my property while still remaining there. to praising my Lord and Saviour for answering prayers. I've gone from groveling about the online county permitting process to publicly here expressing my gratitude for my county commissioner, Mr. Jack Mariano, and his assistant Sonia Walling. for stepping in
on this situation. I want to also thank Mike Commissioner Mariano. You've always supported your constituents and you've always voted to help keep our area of Hudson agricultural in nature and you've helped to fight to lower the density in the PUDs that have been approved recently. You know, our tagline is open spaces, vibrant places, but the natural areas are disappearing. A turnaround from peaceful open spaces to prolific crowded places. In
1992 I moved to Pasco County and I bought an AC zone piece of property on Mattis Road. I raised a family there and we've had wonderful times there on Mattis Road. And then I bought a second piece of property on Mattis Road where I've been living ever since 1998. So half of my life has been living on the farm on Mattis Road. So um I've always dreamed of having a cottage in the back of my long ten. I have a lot of field and trees in the front and lots of oaks in the
back and I've always wanted to live in my woods. So As I reproached as I approach retirement age, I have the opportunity to build a custom home. And I want to shout out to Palmwood Construction and CEO Chris Glever because he's approached this permitting process with common sense and a voice of reason. They're a great company, no nonsense, family-oriented, values-oriented, and I really appreciate the uh support that Palmwood Construction is giving me. Back in 2020, I did impact fee
research. and found out I'm not allowed to have two homes on my property. Even though I'm sandwiched in between two properties with two large block homes. For fast forward to twenty twenty two, a PUD was a approved across the street from me fourteen hundred homes. Now I want to move back in my woods, but I found out in uh December twenty sixth when I submitted a demo permit that I would have to in uh I would have to have the existing structure may not remain on property while building new
structure. That would mean I'd have to be homeless in order to build a home. It really makes no sense. I only want to move six hundred feet away. and it would require a whole turnaround of my life. I'd have to quit my job, move everything out of my house, remove the house, rent somewhere else in order to build a pro uh another home, a nice home on my property. So I'm here, you know, asking For help from the county to please turn around on their decision in this instance. And I want to
thank you for giving me this time to speak. Okay. Thank you.
Uh Ms. Alison Moore.
I don't know. Can you hear me? Yes, good morning. Um my name's Alison Moore. I live at [address removed].
You can go ahead. Thank you.
So good morning. Thanks for listening to me. Um my name like I said is Alison. I live on a little five acre farm in San Antonio off a road called Marion Lane. I am here today representing 20 or so neighbors who have farms on or adjacent to Mary Lane. We have been expressing strong opposition to a project that has been in your planning department for quite some time. I come here today because after almost a year of dealing with the county offices, I feel at a loss for anyone to hear the concerns of those of us that will be adversely affected if this project continues to move forward. Marion
Lane is a private gravel road off of Pasco Road. It is relatively rugged road, not much wider than your car. It has been maintained over the years by neighbors through gentlemen agreements. It also has a culvert on its south end that crosses Cypress Creek. Marion Lane has multiple homes that are part of Bowman Retreats, which is a deed restricted community that only allows five-acre lots. Easement owners have granted ingress and egress to two properties south on Marion Lane. And a new neighbor neighbor has come in and purchased one of these properties.
And it's a five-acre lot like the rest of us, but now he wants to subdivide it into one-acre. lots to develop it. Um he would be building he said when he first came to our neighborhood he would be building a home to have a garden and all these things and at the time he was filing papers with the county to subdivide the property. Um Commissioners, we're appealing to you to stop this development from moving forward. While we understand that properties in our area have these future land use codes, that doesn't mean that it makes sense for the current conditions in
the surrounding areas. It is not right that multiple private road owners such as myself must accommodate such a project that will only devalue our community. Please understand that this owner must traverse our private road to get to that development that he wants to make. And we don't want the predicted 77 passes that the county says will come of these astral homes. It's not conducive to the neighborhood. They will have to drive through to reach
these proposed home sites, and it's not feasible for our primitive road to even handle. This kind of traffic. This developer knows that we are distraught and vehemently disagree with his project and it will dis depreciate our home values and alter our way of life. He's come to our neighborhood to make money off of these lots and change our way of life. I'm begging you commissioners to look at this close more closely than the planning department has done so far. They have given no thought to how these lots will be accessed. Or how it will affect our life. This access
was access was granted to not landlock this man, but it wasn't the intent of our easement to support this or to change our landscape of the community. I included this is my driveway here on the left, and that's the driveway on the right that you would access those new homes. And right before where it splits is a culvert that goes over Cypress. As you can see it's not very wide, it's very rugged, one tar can fit there, so 77 more passes through that just doesn't logistically make sense. And
then that's more of the road and then I also um went around and had a petition signed by all the neighbors um that oppose this um development in our neighborhood. And it's been an extremely frustrating process with planning and development.
That's really the gist of it. And I don't think I mentioned the project but it's called Mariella, Mary and Lane. Um and it's like uh resub and I have the numbers here of the project and the name is on the petition um that I had scanned in.
All right.
Next I have up is uh Nancy Hazelwood.
Nancy Hazewood, [address removed], uh receive and file.
Mm-hmm. Got a motion.
Second.
And a second. All those in favor say roll call vote.
District two, Commissioner Weightman.
District 3, Commissioner Starkey.
Aye.
District 4, Commissioner Bradford.
Aye.
District 5, Commissioner Mariano.
Aye.
District 1, Chairman Oakley.
Aye. Motion passed, thank you.
I came across the belly wadding on project on Happy Hill and ran into this uh image of where basically grading or mining is allowed in the Northeast Row area plan. You guys all know that that's my belly w the Northeast Rail area plan. So it took me a while to notice it, but I was kind of alarm bells started ringing. But I find, thanks to speaking with um
some of your attorneys, that um that were pretty protected from this mining. And that's wonderful. I'd like it to have another look at it since you're updating the plan and make sure because Up on the screen will be in a second what they did in Dade City. to the hills out by us. So um
Part of this that's in the Lakuchi area. And there are five areas actually in part of that That's I believe it's what Mr. Oakley said was gonna be developed at one home per acre that can be mined. And if you take the Lakuchi area out of the northeast row area that protection will not be there anymore. Uh so I'd appreciate it if y'all would take a look
at this and think about mining our hills. These are the Brooksville Ridge, it's high recharge area, which basically means you're getting more water into your aquifer. and um the quality of the water supply that comes. So uh I just wanted to make you all aware of this. Also, I'm gonna leave you with this thought. Why not make a special taxing unit of the Northeast Rural Area Plan? Work with us, give
us some of your staff to work together and do something. Um If we could work together I think we could definitely get a plan for that area and keep it protected. I definitely volunteer to help. And I've made this um suggestion before, but nobody's ever taken me up on it. Maybe the time is here before it's totally gone. Upside down. Upside down. It's almost there. Uh that's not
okay. So actually protecting our water sources and the topography of the Brooksville Ridge from development I would think would be a major concern to Pasco County. And this is Date City and the road was where that land used to be. It's no longer there.
Thank you.
Okay. Thank you.
Mr.
Chairman I have no one else signed up.
Anybody on Wednesday? No
one on Wednesday. Can you leave that?
Cool.
You can't number one, you can't speak from there. If if there's anyone in the room wish to speak, please line up because you were not signed up, so we will hear you speak. You were given your opportunity for three minutes.
State your name and address for the clerk.
Banana. That your name and address for the record, please. Pasola Harrison.
And your address? [address removed].
Thank you, ma'am. You may proceed.
Well I'm here because I live in a Windsor that's owned by the Housing Authority, Casco. And I've been there for five years and like three months. Um well the property was built was built on top of a split area. Um, I had reported for them when I came here last year, like around June, July. Because I've been Back in October twenty two, when the hurricane came through, it damaged something in the roof where it was a leak. Our whole house smelled like mold. The
property manager was out of town. She stuck off for like two weeks 'cause she got married. I spoke with the supervisor of maintenance to let him know what was going on. He said that they have to put in a work order and they'll send somebody out. I met with her. She told me that they was gonna have a meeting 'cause they own they got thir thirteen houses in the subdivision. And she said after She found out what happened in the meeting about getting the roof repaired. She'll contact me. Well, three months later I contacted her because
I started seeing mold in my heart. More. And she said that they didn't have the money to get the property fixed. So they couldn't replace fruit. So FIBA didn't pay for anything because I'm not the homeowner. And they felt like they should have insurance and they would I guess they should have been able to cover. I had insurance, but they didn't cover anything because I wasn't my own. So, um Like in December, no in the November
I have a car that I was giving my son for his birthday this month. So I had it in the garage. I was in my shower. And my power went off. So I saw my kids in the garage to So click the power on and click it back off. Click it on cli it'll come on 'cause I was in the shower. Um When I got in the garage, I had no electricity in the garage. I got it gonna wash. When they they had a flashlight. They said, Mom, your car's full of mold.
I thought are you serious that when I got in the shower, I went and I looked? And it was full of mob. I record it for them. that it was mold damage in my house again.
They never sent anybody out until last week. The gentleman came out, he said there they're the mobile. But everybody in the community have the issues. I've bought seasoning which I got in my purse containers. I go to Sam's Club. They're all moisture. I have pictures of my cabinets where the the moisture from the cabinets. I have accused my kids of wasting stuff on the floor. I have a disability. And I have failed like several times. It was the mo it's the moisture and the flowing. I have craps in the
floin. Um, so it's electrical issues in there, the maintenance guys that work for them. All 13 houses have maintenance issues. But what happened? The builder that built the housing, he gave them to the housing authority, not pass an inspection. He couldn't sell them. So basically they just took over. I don't even feel like any of the information like is in the court system is legit. and we're not supposed to be in the houses at
all.
Right.
I've moved there a lot. I I stayed there, my house was handicapped accessible. For three years I could not use my shower. And when she came to my house to do they do this inspection once a month when they when they come with the pest control. They're supposed to come the first Friday every month. For the last two and a half years they come when they want to. They put a twenty four hour notice on the road.
Your three minutes is that? Mike, do you have someone to speak with her? So Okay. If you will go outside with this gentleman here and he'll he'll address your issues with you.
I appreciate that because I I reached out again. Thank you for coming.
Yes ma'am. Thank
you.
Thank you.
Wait break. She's she's gotta get her purse. Oh get
her purse, yeah.
No.
Is anyone in the audience wish to speak? Come forward. Name and address.
Okay, thank you.
Good morning. My name is Peggy Byrne, B-Y-R-N-E. I live at [address removed]. I'm here today also about belly wadding that someone spoke about earlier. They have filed saying that Meritage Homes, they filed a new plan to develop uh 99 homes on their tract, which is on Happy Hill, and then bordering the other tract owned by the Pittman Massey families that borders County Route 52.
The original promise that was made at the Planning Board meetings was that there would be a 200 to 300 foot setback. from the homes uh on that west side of the parcel that border East Point Drive. The reason for that, well there's multiple reasons for it, but a primary reason is that the neighbors wanted to ensure that that green belt was preserved. We have many animals that live in there, including alligator. More than a hundred gopher turtles at last count. And we also found
that we have a Florida Panther living there. So we are asking that no further development be allowed until somebody actually goes and evaluates this green belt appropriately. We are still of the belief that this should have never been moved out of the Northeast Rural Zone. There was no reason for it. There was no change in that land other than who owns it. I just do not believe, and I speak for many people here today. That just because you are a powerful name in this county, that you should be able to go and bully
your way through and change what's a protected zone. The crime of it all is that our agricultural commissioner, Wilton Simpson, is one of the owners of Bellywadden, one of the principals. And here he is trying to develop land that's for protected species here in Florida. We know that the Planning Board ignored everything that was said. That spoke at Planning Board meetings one and two regarding this, no one was in favor of it. Not one parcel adjoining this. The only person that was in favor of it was Mr. Harvey, who was given
four times the amount to speak as the people that were adjoining that property. So we violated all kinds of issues there. I would very much hope that this board would take the time to look and see what's going on. It's most unfortunate that neighbors have now gone, I have just been advised, to the governor. To the state and to the federal government for protection of this property. I thoroughly advise you not to allow any development of this property until you go and you really do a proper ecological study. The
last one that was done was in 2022. That is when the GoPro turtles were 66 in number. They are now more than a hundred. You can actually see them during the day. going from their one nest and outside. We also have an American bald eagle, of which I have a picture of at took in. So it's a very active ecological zone. It should not have been moved. We also have a water shortage in that area. And because of that water shortage we are very concerned you don't have enough water to allow watering for the beauty mint of
of um excuse me. Um uh the look of properties that are adjoining it. And yet here we are going to allow a hundred new homes that are using water. And then where is that water going to go, the runoff from those homes? Only down into that ecological area there. We don't want it. Everybody opposed it, and we've never ever been given a reason why this was voted on and moved from the Northeast Rural Zone. No one has given the residents of this county the courtesy of that answer. When
I was told it was going to the MUPD zone, they said, Well, we have this master plan and we're going to come. connected. That zone will never be connected because East Point is part of Lake Jovita, a closed community. I thank you for the time. I hope you will take the time to listen and investigate this. Thank
you. Thank you. Is there anyone else in the audience wish to speak at this time?
Seeing no one do we have anybody on WebEx?
No one's on WebEx.
Nobody on WebEx?
No, Mr. Chairman M
Okay. And there's no emails or anything of that nature?
No, no.